Microsoft's browser was virtually unchanged, up 0.01 points at 54.77 percent. Firefox was down 0.62 points at 19.82 percent, dropping below 20 percent for the second time in three months. Chrome was up 0.8 points to 18.04 percent, its first gain since August. Of the also-rans, Safari was down slightly, dropping 0.09 points to 5.24 percent, and Opera was up 0.04 points to 1.71 percent.

Chrome suffered setbacks in early 2012, with Google penalizing its own browser for a promotional campaign that broke the search engine's marketing rules, and accordingly saw Chrome's online presence plummet in Google's rankings. Mozilla, meanwhile, started hitting its stride with its rapid release schedule for Firefox: over the last year, the browser has gained both an automatic, mostly transparent updater (similar to Chrome's), and a series of enterprise-friendly releases that promise to provide long-term security updates (though "long-term" in this rapid release world translates only to about 30 weeks).

Microsoft's position has been buoyed by the continued strong uptake of Windows 7, and with it, Internet Explorer 9.

In the mobile market, Android's position has continued to strengthen over the course of the year, but Apple's iOS devices remain more widely represented on the Web. December presented a rare highlight for Microsoft on the mobile Web, too; for the first time in more than two years, Internet Explorer took more than 1 percent of the mobile browsing market. Redmond's browser remains a tiny player overall, but a larger share of a larger market may be a small sign that Windows Phone is starting to see a little success.

Chrome and Firefox are settling into their now established updated patterns. Both browsers see a majority of their users make the switch to each new version automatically, but a minority of users are getting stuck on an older, unsupported version of the browser, and subsequently taking a long time to upgrade. About 1.8 percent of Web users are on a version of Chrome that's at least two versions out of date (that's about 10 percent of all Chrome users), and 5 percent of Web users are on an obsolete, unpatched version of Firefox—fully a quarter of all Firefox users.

The end of the year was more mixed for Microsoft. There are some things that the company will be pleased about. Its overall share of the browser market grew, with Internet Explorer 9 almost doubling its usage, and the ancient Internet Explorer 6 losing about a quarter of its users over the course of the year. However, Redmond's big concern is likely to be Windows 8.

That's not the explosive start that the PC industry was hoping for. However, there are some slightly more encouraging signs out there. Akamai, the content distribution company, has published Web usage stats for the last few months. The broad trends that Akamai identifies are comparable to those of Net Market Share; Internet Explorer has the lead, with around 55 percent of the desktop market, with Chrome and Firefox trailing behind it (though according to Akamai, Chrome, with a share of about 18 percent, is leading Firefox, with a share of about 15 percent).

Akamai, unlike Net Market Share, provides data with daily granularity, albeit with a lag of a few days (the most recent day available is December 27). This demonstrates a consistent trend. During the working week, Internet Explorer 7 and 8 gain users (about 9 and 19 percent, respectively), at the expense of Internet Explorer 9 and Chrome (at 29 and 19 percent each). During weekends, the two old Microsoft browsers lose users (down to 8 percent for 7, 13 percent for 8), and Internet Explorer 9 and Chrome both gain them (up to 32 and 20 percent). The implication here is that people are more likely to be stuck with some combination such as Windows XP and Internet Explorer 8 at work, but have access to Windows 7 and Chrome when they're at home.

Christmas Day showed a similar trend; as a non-working day, Internet Explorer 9 was up, 7 and 8 were down. However, Akamai's data also shows a surge in usage of a version of Internet Explorer that isn't explicitly identified, but which isn't version 6, 7, 8, or 9. These unknown Internet Explorer versions have registered at about 1 percent during the week, 1.3 percent during the weekend, but went up to 2.4 percent on Christmas Day—a sign that there just might be a lot of new Windows 8 or Windows RT PCs given as Christmas gifts.

Akamai is yet to publish data spanning the first weekend after Christmas, so it's too soon to see if this new version will continue to show up on non-working days, but if it does then it might just show that Internet Explorer 10—and hence Windows 8—is starting to gain traction, at least among home users.

According to the same Netmarketshare statistics, Mac OS X went from 6.9% to 7.0% over the year. But if you go by the amount of coverage from this site and many other tech blogs, one would think it is OS X with 90+% market share and Windows with 7%.

According to the same Netmarketshare statistics, Mac OS X went from 6.9% to 7.0% over the year. But if you go by the amount of coverage from this site and many other tech blogs, one would think it is OS X with 90+% market share and Windows with 7%.

What gives?

If you look at past versions of this article, Ars has posted browser statistics for their readers. They're not the same as the global numbers, with Chrome/Firefox much higher, and MacOS and Linux represented to a higher percentage as well.

Akamai shows up in my AdBlock lists more times than I can count. More FF and Chrome users are likely using similar lists. Not too many people are aware of TPL in IE. In other words, take these stats with a grain of salt.

Windows 8 slow to get noticed, but hopefully fast to be forgotten. Sorry, that's a shameless jab but I really think forcing Metro on desktop and laptop users is a real big and unforgivable mistake.

You should be AWED at Windows8's prowess on the desktop. Consider this:

You get two completely independent operating systems for the price of one: a) Traditional Windows and b) RT with Metro. They boot at the same time and you can switch back and forth seamlessly. If you are a traditional Windows user and don't care for RT/Metro, I'd recommend a Start button such as Start8. There are others. Your desktop will look nearly identical to W7 and you still get a better OS.

The dual OS (on the desktop and Intel-powered laptops) give you the best possible option for content creation and cloud dissemination. No other operating system gives you this kind of flexibility. If you don't care for it, ignoring one side or the other is really simple.

As for Window 8's adoption, it's had a problem where nobody wants to take the first step. Developers aren't making Windows 8 apps because nobody uses Windows 8 yet. But people aren't buying Windows tablets or upgrading Windows 7 machines because there's no compelling app selection. And OEMs are slow to introduce touchscreen models because they don't know yet whether touchscreen PCs are a fad (like 3D) or the next big thing (like multitouch trackpads). Neither consumers nor developers nor OEMs want to make the first big leap.

Especially Chrome that has had silent, automatic updates relatively in early stages, I'd expect better adoption rates for the latest version... Why so much difference? Why people stuck with random versions? I understand companies, people don't care at all, people don't know what is going on, but... Still...

Incidentally, personally I used Windows 8 for long time... I just went back to Windows 7. Nothing better than a clean installation of Windows 7. I got the most important platform pre-release Directwrite/Direct2D/Direct3D update and IE10 and I truly don't miss anything from Windows 8. Only the Win8's desktop design I really like, but there is the official theme for Windows 7 with a small tweak. Perfect!

Such a disappointment for the hordes of Ars Technica readers who spend their spare time criticising Microsoft's browser and telling us all how terrible all things Microsoft are.

(Disclaimer: I am writing this on Chrome).

Thankfully everyone has options for what they want to use. A lot of people are happy with MS products. I'm happy that Windows 7 will be the last MS product I ever buy.

Want to bet?

Bet on what exactly? I dislike Microsoft, and don't need their products any longer. For my needs, there are plenty of alternatives. Windows XP and 7 are the only two Microsoft products I've bought in the last 10 years, and that was only because to play PC games they were pretty much required, but I don't care about gaming anymore, so they have nothing to offer me (I barely even need a desktop anymore, even media needs are being served by the awesome Raspberry Pi and XMBC).

These days I would never dream of buying an MS console, and am happy I resisted the urge to buy a 360 back in '05 (which got easier to resist every year).

I've never bought an Apple product either, and yet, have still managed to survive & thrive.

I've tried no less that three times to convert to Windows 8 and I hate it. I keep thinking that perhaps I am just a dinosaur and like the WIN 3.1 > WIN 95 transition I'll eventually come to like it.

A year later however I still hate it, in fact more so than during the RC, In the meantime I've migrated to a CentOS 6.3 desktop becaese I run VMware Workstation, which allows for a Windows 7 VM via VMware Playerm and frankly it is stable as hell and can play Netflix in fullscreen. So I became an accidental convert.

So I have to ask: Who the fuck is willingly using Windows 8 outside of the captive audience that is my grandma and grandpa buying a new computer? I know that many Arsians have migrated, but I have no idea how or why they woulod do so, I am not trying to flame, I am just windering why so many people adore what I personallyy find (perhaps due to ignorance) a woefully inadequate OS?

I know that many Arsians have migrated, but I have no idea how or why they woulod do so, I am not trying to flame, I am just windering why so many people adore what I personallyy find (perhaps due to ignorance) a woefully inadequate OS?

I've tried no less that three times to convert to Windows 8 and I hate it. I keep thinking that perhaps I am just a dinosaur and like the WIN 3.1 > WIN 95 transition I'll eventually come to like it.

A year later however I still hate it, in fact more so than during the RC, In the meantime I've migrated to a CentOS 6.3 desktop becaese I run VMware Workstation, which allows for a Windows 7 VM via VMware Playerm and frankly it is stable as hell and can play Netflix in fullscreen. So I became an accidental convert.

So I have to ask: Who the fuck is willingly using Windows 8 outside of the captive audience that is my grandma and grandpa buying a new computer? I know that many Arsians have migrated, but I have no idea how or why they woulod do so, I am not trying to flame, I am just windering why so many people adore what I personallyy find (perhaps due to ignorance) a woefully inadequate OS?

I'm using it on my HTPC and my laptop. I find that Windows 8 is faster and more powerful than Windows 7 for most things now that I'm familiar with the flow. The unification of common commands into the charms bar, though stupidly named and initially irritating is one example.

Now that I've dressed up the my start screens with Oblytile (Functionality that should have been included by default) I'm finding Win8 much prettier than 7 ever was as well.

If you want something specific take how I manage my e-mail. I'm using the Win8 metro e-mail application and it has a live tile on the start screen, so if I get a new e-mail on any of the 5 accounts that I actually care about I see it right away and know who it's from and whether I should bother dealing with it. from there it's a single click to actually read the e-mail. I treat it as an RSS reader for e-mails and I like how it does the job. When I actually want to spend a bit of time managing my e-mails I'll click the Gmail tile or whichever one I need to launch it and organise things.

I know it's a big change, but in my opinion Win 8 is a better way of doing things and a step up from 7 in pretty much every way. Of course, I'm looking forward to seeing what this UI looks like when it's actually mature, but even now it's better than what was there before it.

Edit;

If you don't like anything I have to say then respond with your own opinion you cowards.

I still use Chrome the most because of the awesome speed. But there are a few situations that Chrome messes up occasionally (shopping, authentication, etc.). Plus, Chrome has zero touch capability which really sucks if you're a Windows 8 user.

Firefox is the most reliable across all the websites, and has lots of great plugins. If it had the speed of Chrome, I'd use it full-time.

IE10 is really drawing me back to it because of the awesome touch features. All the touch features like pinch to zoom work great and fast. Firefox also has touch but it's extremely slow and laggy. And Chrome has zero touch support. Metro IE10 took getting used to with the new interface. Desktop IE10 is only used when I want the touch features but also want the desktop UI motif.

Akamai shows up in my AdBlock lists more times than I can count. More FF and Chrome users are likely using similar lists. Not too many people are aware of TPL in IE. In other words, take these stats with a grain of salt.

This is something I'm wondering for long time... Do these counters count me in? On my Fx I never browse anything without privacy lists, and since I, and many others I guess, block them, what's happening? Not that I care, just saying... You can never be sure. They are evil and resourceful

Meanwhile, IE is sucking every counter in depths of your PC... I guess the mass that uses IE don't even bother to disable 3rd party cookies, at least...

i don't loathe IE because of IE10, i loathe it because my job requires me to support back to seven, and "more if possible." it's sort of like someone going into AA and then coming to you and saying, "I'm sorry I stole your laptop and sold it for drugs, i have found jesus, can we be friends again?"

an apology doesn't right previous wrongs. i'm willing to forgive, but it's going to take a few years of microsoft making IE not suck before i let it back in my house.

As a web dev I don't hate IE per se, I hate IE versions older than IE9. Also, anyone who's still insisting on using IE6 + Win XP really needs to die in a fire - it's 2013, not 2001 ffs.

Additionally I don't understand the mentality of people who deliberately disable automatic updates. In particular on Chrome you have to dig quite deep into the settings do it's definitely a deliberate choice.

I've tried no less that three times to convert to Windows 8 and I hate it. I keep thinking that perhaps I am just a dinosaur and like the WIN 3.1 > WIN 95 transition I'll eventually come to like it.

A year later however I still hate it, in fact more so than during the RC, In the meantime I've migrated to a CentOS 6.3 desktop becaese I run VMware Workstation, which allows for a Windows 7 VM via VMware Playerm and frankly it is stable as hell and can play Netflix in fullscreen. So I became an accidental convert.

So I have to ask: Who the fuck is willingly using Windows 8 outside of the captive audience that is my grandma and grandpa buying a new computer? I know that many Arsians have migrated, but I have no idea how or why they woulod do so, I am not trying to flame, I am just windering why so many people adore what I personallyy find (perhaps due to ignorance) a woefully inadequate OS?

I have W8 running on both my desktops. No problems at all. Boot up, go to desktop and that's, that. What's inadequate about it? It runs every program that I had installed on 7, runs all my games smoothly, does everything that I want it to do. Our rigs are on all day long at home and in constant use. So far, so good.

I've tried no less that three times to convert to Windows 8 and I hate it. I keep thinking that perhaps I am just a dinosaur and like the WIN 3.1 > WIN 95 transition I'll eventually come to like it.

A year later however I still hate it, in fact more so than during the RC, In the meantime I've migrated to a CentOS 6.3 desktop becaese I run VMware Workstation, which allows for a Windows 7 VM via VMware Playerm and frankly it is stable as hell and can play Netflix in fullscreen. So I became an accidental convert.

So I have to ask: Who the fuck is willingly using Windows 8 outside of the captive audience that is my grandma and grandpa buying a new computer? I know that many Arsians have migrated, but I have no idea how or why they woulod do so, I am not trying to flame, I am just windering why so many people adore what I personallyy find (perhaps due to ignorance) a woefully inadequate OS?

I have W8 running on both my desktops. No problems at all. Boot up, go to desktop and that's, that. What's inadequate about it? It runs every program that I had installed on 7, runs all my games smoothly, does everything that I want it to do. Our rigs are on all day long at home and in constant use. So far, so good.

Apart from under the hood updates what's the point in updating to win 8 from 7?

Wow. Microsoft 'contributor' chooses stats that show his preference to be dominant, and yet every other collator of this kind of data says that Chrome has a significantly larger share. This, as the expression goes, is bullshit.

As for Window 8's adoption, it's had a problem where nobody wants to take the first step. Developers aren't making Windows 8 apps because nobody uses Windows 8 yet. But people aren't buying Windows tablets or upgrading Windows 7 machines because there's no compelling app selection. And OEMs are slow to introduce touchscreen models because they don't know yet whether touchscreen PCs are a fad (like 3D) or the next big thing (like multitouch trackpads). Neither consumers nor developers nor OEMs want to make the first big leap.

I'm not really looking forward to all my programs turning into Metro "apps"

I use a desktop computer... so touch is of no use to me.

And... the whole idea of full screen apps and even the snap feature seems silly.

I actually like having multiple "windows" that I can move around the screen!

Yes... I know the old desktop is still there. My fear is that the next version of Windows will eliminate the desktop completely.

That is of course the problem. The people with half a brain know that eventually Metro is going to usurp the Desktop entirely despite the fact that right now, it's woefully incapable of handling any sort of advanced workflow.